Make-up Tips: Make it Easy

Society almost demands of women that they wear make-up, and not just some of the time. Some women feel they cannot even leave their homes without make-up on, and in many professional environments an unmade face might be considered almost obscene. At least a social faux pas, going around without make-up on in some places just cannot be done. It would be almost impossible to find a woman anywhere that did not wear make-up to her own wedding or senior prom, for instance. Sometimes, there is no escape from make-up.

And let's be honest: most women hate wearing it. Make-up can get hot and uncomfortable and make you so self-conscious. "Is my make-up running" flashes instantly through the mind at the first trickle of sweat. One must check and re-check, apply and re-apply, and generally exhaust oneself in trying to maintain that perfect face.

But, like anything else, even something as hard as make-up can be made easy…if you know how to do it. The first rule in make-up is that less is more. You want to keep your make-up as light as possible. Otherwise, you'll feel (and look) like you're wearing a mask and you'll be forced to maintain an air-conditioned space at all times. Use the least amount of foundation that is possible.

Here's a trick for foundation. Not everyone has been gifted with perfect skin, and those of us that live in the real world have faces that feature freckles, blemishes, spots, and who knows what else. You know that foundation can be used to achieve a smooth, even look - so you put it all over your face. Unfortunately, this often makes your skin worse and feels terrible, to boot. Take your application sponge and put only a little foundation on the applicator. Then, dot the foundation gently just on the "bad places" of your face. Next, use a clean part of the sponge to smooth out that foundation. You'll get a very light coating of foundation to smooth out your overall skin, while the parts that you want hidden will be blotted out. Make sure to smooth out the finish.

If using eyeliner, line the part under the eyelashes, not over them. Get right underneath of where your eyelashes grow, if you can, and use only a very thin line. Blondes should use a tan, bronze, or brownish shade. Colored eyeliners like blues and green are only appropriate for clubbing or for a casual party among friends - not in the workplace. Apply mascara only to the corners of your upper eyelashes, using a dry mascara brush or eyelash curler to give curl to the other eyelashes. Mascara on the bottom lashes very often rubs together, and eyeliner on the bottom lid of your eyes will only leave a dark smudge - so leave it off completely.

You'll want a few good make-up brushes in different sizes. Once you've finished applying eyeshadow, blush, and face powder (use only a light patting of powder, tapping it on your face and then smoothing it out) you'll want to brush a dry brush all over your face to get rid of loose make-up particles and provide a clean, finished look.

No one needs a whole lot of make-up to look great, and make-up can be a quick and painless process, if you know how.